Reflections on your year/decade
The Why:
This process helps me to see the overview of my year/decade all the highs and lows in which we find hidden resilience and opportunities only when we reflect back as we were often to emotionally involved or close to the situation previously to notice what was hidden from us and to see what has supported me and what hasn’t.
Noting the changes that have occurred and mostly where I can give myself a good pat on the back and say yes I actually did all this. After doing this I can see clearly where and what I need to do to start off my new year with a skip in my step and I’m ready to embrace my inner strength, enabling me to collect new tools and a plan to keep moving forward and released certain habits/emotions/situations from my life and find those which lifts me up and enhances my life.
The How:
Another year is passing and with this year we also see a decade passing as well.
This process can be used for any period of time
Materials needed: paper, pen/pencils/markers, journal or writing pad.
When I am reflecting on my year I lay it out like a time line – It’s not always easy to remember what has happened but it is a process I do over a couple of days if not weeks, as I keep remembering items to add to my time line.
Lay your paper out and draw a line the length or your paper (you may need to or with to join a couple of pieces of paper together). Mark increments along the timeline to mark off months or years
Sit still and reflect back over your year/decade and as memories start to appear write them on your timeline
If it comes to mind write it on, one word is fine, you are the only one that need to know what it is.
Once you have decided your time line is complete (for now) as you can come back and add to it at any time because events may pop into your head.
Add an icon like a flower or smiley face to mark happy or highlights in your life
and a cross or sad face to events that are low or emotional times for you.
Add any other information to the timeline you are drawn to add. These are your memories and emotions so add what you need to have on the timeline.
Sit with this time line and look at the event that have happened, You may want to add further icons to your time line to represent different emotions felt during the events or before and after. Was one event more emotional than another?
In your journal or on a writing pad, reflect on the following questions: (in no particular order)
Notice the ups and downs that occurred?
How did I cope? Did my coping stills improve as time went on?
Did I learn anything from the past year/decade?
Did I have more highlights than lows?
What stood out for me?
What was I most proud of?
Where did I struggle the most?
Where my lows a little less low as the year/decade progressed?
What tools and strategies did I learn that I could add to my tool box?
Was I consistent with my art & meditation throughout the year?
What did I learn from this period?
How did you feel at your lowest point?
How did you feel at your highest point?
What have I learnt from this timeline?
If there was one thing I could do different what would it have been?
What is the one thing you wish to take with you going forward-(could be a though, emotion or action)
A word to describe you currently: happy, content, despondent, loved…………………………
What do you know now that you didn’t know before?
Try automatic writing? Don’t know how? Just start writing and let it out on the paper.
Explore this process, you may find that events keep popping into you head; write them on the timeline, journal the questions one at a time or just the ones that appeal to you.
If issues a rise use the tools in your tool box help any emotions you feel or speak to someone that you trust or someone from you self-support team.
I am available for 1:1 sessions by appointment: diane@angelicpresence.com.au
Blessings
Diane
Blessings
Diane
